Fergus Rovers Ladies F.c.

our history

While Fergus Rovers Ladies Gaelic Football Club was founded in 1986, there was a Ladies Football club in Lissycasey in 1984 and 1985. Lissycasey contested the first U 14A final in 1984.

Fergus Rovers Ladies Gaelic Football Club is a parish organisation in Ballynacally and Lissycasey, which also includes Ballyea.

Underage and Adult Success

The first two decades proved to be very rewarding, particularly at adult level. Fergus Rovers won nine Senior Championships between 1986 and 2000, as well as fourteen Division 1 League titles between 1986 and 2005, while the club also contested two Munster Senior Club finals. In addition, Fergus Rovers have attended the All-Ireland 7’s on many occasions. At Senior level, we reached the semi-final in 1995, the final in 1996 and eventually won the title in 1997. At underage level, the club also experienced success in the first decade, winning titles at U 14A, U 16A and Minor A levels.

Notwithstanding lack of effort on the part of team managements and club officers, the club did experience a lull. It was challenging at times to field teams; therefore, success was scarce. However, we kept the show on the road and through the introduction of U 8s in 2010, we gradually began to see shoots. We continued our underage development programme by introducing football for U 6s in 2019. The annual U 10 blitz also played a big part in the development of our players. Thanks to the huge efforts of our dedicated mentors, we are now reaping the rewards.

At the time of writing (May 2024), Fergus Rovers have won the last three U 14A Championship titles, have been very competitive at U 16 A and Minor A levels, contesting the U 16 A final in 2023 and the Minor A final in 2022 and 2023. In a club such as Fergus Rovers, who are fortunate to have large numbers, it is important to provide competitive football for all members. Our second team is crucial in the development of our underage players. These teams have also enjoyed success, a remarkable achievement considering the majority of the team would be eligible for that age group for up to two more years. We’re proud to say that Fergus Rovers have won the last three Féile U 15A titles and have competed well at national level. It was great experience for the girls to challenge themselves against teams from other provinces. While we did not win a title, we did qualify for a Cup semi-final, no mean feat.

Community Games and Schools

Fergus Rovers underage mentors also manage the parish (Ballynacally-Lissycasey) Community Games U 12s and U 14s sides. These groups have had phenomenal success. County, Provincial and National titles have been captured, U 12 in both 2021 and 2022, as well as U 14 last year.

At Primary Schools’ level, the parish team has competed, since the inception of the competition in 1989. While a few titles were captured in the past in the lower grades, the parish achieved another milestone when the team claimed the A title for the first time last year. Several Fergus Rovers players line out with the various Post-Primary Schools within the county, where many of them have achieved success.

In 2022, Fergus Rovers defeated Kilrush in the Intermediate Championship final to regain their long-awaited Senior status. It was the clubs first time to reach the county final following regrading from the top tier eleven years earlier. In 2023, Fergus Rovers competed well in the Senior championship, reaching the quarter final. Victories eluded us in our league campaign resulting in relegation to Division 2. As the Seniors continue to develop and progress as a team, and our underage talent continues to flourish, it is our ambition to achieve Senior success in the coming years.

The Junior B team also brought home silverware in 2021 when we defeated Wolfe Tones in the League final, following a replay. Unfortunately, we lost the championship final to Crusheen later that year. Not to be deterred, however, Fergus Rovers won the Junior B Championship against Miltown in 2022. With our new-found confidence and Junior A ranking, we contested the Junior A Championship final against Newmarket on Fergus last year, but failed to conquer against a more experienced side.

In 2014, a Gaelic4Mothers&Others unit was established within the club. These ladies train weekly and play matches within and outside the county. The highlight of the year is a trip to Dublin to participate in the annual blitz. They also have an annual fundraiser, the proceeds of which are donated to charity.

Club Representation at County Level

Fergus Rovers provided many players to Clare teams over the last four decades from underage to adult level. When Clare won its first All-Ireland Championship at adult level, the Junior All-Ireland in 1991, no less than ten Fergus Rovers players were on the panel. At underage level, some of our players have been part of a number of Clare All-Ireland winning teams, from the very first All-Ireland U 16 A title won in 1985, right up to the most recent victory, which was the Munster Minor B Championship.

Club representation at county level is very prominent at present within Fergus Rovers. Currently, we have 7 girls on the U 14 Clare panel, 7 on the U 16 squad, 8 on the Minor panel and 3 with the Intermediates.

Club’s current goals and future plans

The Club’s primary mission is to endeavour to build our sport to enhance the lives of our players and develop a sense of pride in our community, by nurturing our youth’s talents and empowering them to reach their potential. Officials of the all Fergus Rovers teams strive to provide a high standard of coaching to develop the core skills of Ladies Gaelic Football whilst at the same time developing a healthy competitive spirit for football, and still providing a fun and challenging experience for each individual player. It is our hope that the players develop a deep interest in team sports through which camaraderie and hopefully long-lasting friendships are made.

Fergus Rovers always have and will continue to aspire to facilitate the provision of the best playing amenities and equipment available to us in line with the growth of sport within our community. However, due to the expansion of our club, it is becoming more expensive to run the club on an operational level, let alone on a long-term development level. We now have in excess of 300 members. Over 200 of those are juveniles. Fergus Rovers currently field two teams in all age groups.

We are very appreciative of both Lissycasey GAA Club and Clondegad GAA Club who have always made their facilities available to us for training and match fixtures. As our playing numbers continue to grow, and the demand for our football facilities increases, we are thrilled to get involved in this collaboration with Fergus Athletic Club and Lissycasey GAA Club to raise funds to upgrade and develop the facilities further.

Upgrading of floodlights, improvements to the playing pitches, the addition of a running track and a potential astro turf facility are all very exciting projects. It will bring nothing but positives to the young girls and boys in our community, as they grow and mature into adult footballers and athletes.